The goal of this course is to update nurses in the acute care setting on the signs and symptoms, risk factors, and available treatments for common eye disorders.
After taking this course, you should be able to:
- Recall at least two signs and symptoms of common eye disorders.
- Identify the risk factors for common eye disorders.
- Determine treatment interventions for common eye disorders.
Sight is a precious gift. Yet, many Americans find their sight threatened by age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma. Nurses have a responsibility to their patients to provide resources that can help reduce the prevalence of these conditions in older adults.
Primary open-angle glaucoma is a leading cause of preventable blindness in the U.S., affecting more than 2.7 million Americans older than age 40. POAG is the leading cause of blindness among African Americans, occurring six times more often than among Caucasians. This module will review the process of fluid circulation in the normal eye. It will identify the risk factors and causes of glaucoma, particularly POAG, as well as its diagnosis and the medical and surgical procedures used to treat it. As a diagnosis of glaucoma may mean surgery or lifelong use of potentially dangerous medications, related teaching needs will be included.
